Drop bottom container for container cars



Feb. 9, 1937.

G. c. WOODRUFF DROP BOTTOM CONTAINER FOR CONTAINER CABS Filed Augr9, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. Bygjj w ATTORNEY Feb. 9, 1937. G. c. WOODRUFF DROP BOTTOM CONTAINER FOR CONTAINER CARS Filed Aug. 9, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

' ATToRNEY Feb. 9, 1937. G. c. WQODRYUFF 2,070,349

DROP BOTTOM CONTAINER FOR CONTAINER CARS Filed Aug. 9, 1935 s Sheets-Sheet s I l 1. Q d /5 Q 3.9 h /l 5?. TIL :1 I ll 1LT: ;//Z //Z 5 2a 2 M I IJQVENTOR.

Patented Feb. 9, 1937 UNITED STATES DROP BOTTOM CONTAINER FOB CONTAINER CABS Graham 0.

to The L. 0. Delaware Woodrull, Bronxville, N. Y.,

assignor L. Corporation, a corporation of Application August 9, 1935, Serial No. 35,540

3 Claims.

This invention relates to drop bottom containers for use in connection with container cars, and particularly to a novel and improved construction of the drop doors thereof and to a novel and improved construction of sealing means for tightly closing any space or crevice existing between the meeting edges of the doors to prevent leakage of the lading.

The main object of the invention is to provide a double door construction comprising door members hinged at their outer edges to opposite sides of the container and having their inner or free edges arranged to closely abut when the doors are in closed position, which free edges of the door members embody means for effecting a tight sealing of the joint between them to prevent the leakage of the lading.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel construction of reinforcing and seal supporting elements at the free edges or the door members whereby the sealing means will be protected from injury by the discharging lading, and to provide a reliable, durable and efficient construction of yielding or elastic sealing means which will accommodate itself to any slight variations or irregularities in the free edges of the door members and at all times securely seal any spaces or crevices which may exist between the door edges against leakage of lading when the door members are closed.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of the features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafter fully described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a container embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section through a portion of the base of the container.

Fig. 4 is a similar section through the meeting edges of the drop doors, showing particularly the construction of the sealing means.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a portion of one of the doors.

Fig. 6 is a. view in elevation looking toward the sealing edge of the door.

Fig. l is a vertical longitudinal section through one of the ends of the container, showing a portion of one of the doors and the door controlling cable connected therewith.

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing a modified construction of sealing means.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 1 to '7, inclusive, of the drawings, l designates a container of generally rectangular or oblong rec-' tangular form in plan and horizontal section, that shown being generally of oblong rectangular form in plan and embodying side walls 2, end walls 3 and a top wall 4, the bottom of said container being fully open to form an outlet 5 for the en masse discharge of the lading when desired, said outlet being normally closed by the drop doors 6 and 6a. The top wall of the container is provided with a filling opening la through which the lading is suitably introduced, which opening is normally closed by a hinged door or other suitable closure means lb.

The container herein shown is particularly designed and adapted for the storage'and transportation oi ores, cement and other similar materials, which are liable to pack or become frozen in transit, rendering them diflicult of removal from a drop bottom container of the usual type formed with perpendicular sides. The construction of the container i is such as to overcome this objection to containers of usual type and to effect the ready and free discharge of the lading even when frozen or solidly packed. To this end the side and end walls of the container are made to slope outwardly and downwardly from the bottom to the top of the container thus providing a container which is wider at bottom than top and is of flaring form and whose lading space progressively increases in area, i. e., width and length from bottom to top, the said walls being internally smooth and the drop doors 6 and in. being mounted to swing toopen position for a dumping action out of the line of discharge of the lading, so that there will be no obstacles or resistances to the discharge of the lading and the weight of the lading itself will effect its instantaneous discharge with a self-clearing action upon the dropping of the doors 6 and 6a.

The container per se constitutes the subjectmatter of another application for patent flied November 23, 1931, Serial No. 576,925, patented December 8, 1936, No. 2,063,650, and only so much of the container structure is herein shown as is necessary to a proper disclosure of the present invention. The parts of the framing and the side and end sheets are connected and reinforced at their lower ends by pressed steel Z-shaped side sill plates 1 and pressed steel Z-shaped end sill plates 8. The upper vertical portions or flanges Ia of the side sill plates I and the upper vertical portions or flanges 8a of the end sill plates 8 are sloped or inclined at the same angle as the side and end wall sheets and in practice are mitred and welded to each other and to desired parts of the framing. The horizontal flanges lb and 8b of the sill plates 1 and 8 extend outwardly beyond the plane of the side and end walls to a definite degree and the lower vertical flanges 1c and8c of the side and end sills extend below the horizontal flanges of said sills, to provide at the bottom of the container an expanded or laterally offset supporting sill base to rest upon the floor of the container car and give stable support to the container. This construction of the sill base also provides a door receiving chamber or compartment which extends at all sides beyond the bottom discharge outlet and which is adapted to receive and house the drop doors 6 and So when in closed position. The doors 6 and 6a, as shown, are mounted at their relatively outer side edges upon the vertical flanges of the side sills by hinges 9. The doors are of similar construction with one exception, each door being formed of a pressed steel oblong rectangular pan-shaped body ill, the door 6 being provided with a flange II at its outer side and each end but being flangeless at its inner or contacting side, while the door in in addition to being provided with a flange II at its outer side and each end is also provided with a flange ll at its inner or contacting side, which flange ll serves as a sealing flange, as hereinafter described.

Each door is reinforced at its opposite or inner free side edge by a steel Z-bar l2 extending the full length thereof and riveted to the door sheet. Each end of each Z-bar I2 is provided with a cast steel extension I3 riveted thereto, and the outer end of each cast steel extension has cast integrally therewith a lug or eye M for the attachment thereto, as by a clevis and clevis pin connection ll, of a door operating cable, chain or like element I 5. The lower vertical flanges of the end sills of the container are cut away, as at l6, for a short distance at the center of the container to permit the Z-bar extension castings to project outward beyond the door housing for the attachment of the door operating cables thereto. The chains or cables l5 extend downwardly to the doors from a point above the top of the container through guide housings l1 secured to the end walls, and the said cables or chains are suitably united at their upper ends for connection with door operating means of any preferred type whereby the doors may be held closed and dropped whenever desired. By the described mounting of the hinges, and by making the horizontal portions of the sills of proper width, the drop doors are adapted to swing down therewith beneath the sills out of the way of the discharging lading, as will be readily understood.

The vertical body portions and lower horizontal flanges of the Z-bars I 2 are arranged so as to be in opposed or facing relationship when the doors are closed. The inner edges of the door sheets ll! of the respective doors project inwardly beyond the vertical body portions of the bars I2 and overhang the lower horizontal flanges thereof and the downturned end flanges ll of said sheets lap theends of the Z-bars I2 and the cast steel extensions. The inner edge of the door sheet I0 of the door 6 is flangeless as previously described and-terminates in a horizontal plane and is provided with a downwardly projecting pressed steel carrier plate or strip IQ for the attachment of a flexible or resilient sealing device I 8. The carrier plate or strip l9 lies within the channel 20 formedby the associated Z-bar and projecting edge of the sheet of the door 6, and is provided along its upper edge with a horizontal flange 2| which is fastened to the underside of the edge of the door sheet. Carried by the body portion of the strip I 9 is a gasket or sealing element consisting of a tube of rubber fabric 22 between the walls of which is disposed a steel retaining plate or strip 23. This strip is connected at regularly spaced intervals by machine screws 24 passing through part 2| with a backing plate 24a, whereby the carrier and retaining strips are secured together and the gasket or sealing facing 22 is fastened to the carrier strip. The outer wall or face of the gasket 22 is adapted to contact with the flange H on the inner edge of the door 6a, which thus forms a sealing flange or member coacting with the gasket 22 to tightly close the space between the contacting edges of the doors when said doors are closed. The outer wall of the tubing is provicled opposite the screws 24 with slits 24b to permit insert-ion of the screws and a screw driver.

By the above-described construction of the sealing means it will be seen that the sealing elements are arranged upon and cooperate with the reinforcing Z-bars I2 at the swinging edges of the doors, that; they are housed within the spaces formed by the channels of these bars and closed by the overlying portions of the door sheets of the doors. When the door is moved to closed position the sealing gasket 22 is yieldingly compressed between its retaining and carrier plates and the flange I I to engage and accommodate itself to any possible irregularities of surface of said flange and thus form. a tight sealing connection between the meeting edges of the doors to prevent escape of the lading when the doors are closed. It will be observed that the construction set forth provides such an arrangement of the sealing elements l8 and II' as to protect the same from injury by the discharging lading when the doors are open, as any lading which may discharge over the floor surfaces of the doors will move in a plane removed from that occupied by the sealing element.

Fig. 8 of the drawings shows a modified construction of sealing device l8a carried by the door 6 for engagementwith the sealing flange II' on the door 6a. This sealing device l8a comprises a wood filler 26 seated within the channel formed by the body portion and horizontal flange of the Z-bar l2 attached to the door 6 and the overhanging free edge of the floor sheet of said door, and a gasket or sealing strip 21 of a strong and durable canvas saturated with an anti-fric tion, preservative and sealing substance, such as a heavy lead paint. The body of this strip 21 covers the outer face of the block and the edges of the strip are seated in recesses formed in the top and bottom surfaces of the block and secured by fastening elements 28. The block 26 is secured in position by bolts, rivets or other fastenings 29 passing through the block and the body portion of the bar l2, The block and its fabric facing extend substantially the full distance between the horizontal bottom flange of the bar 2 and overlying portion of the door floor sheet so as to contact with the sealing flange ll substantially throughout its full depth when the doors are closed. The fabric gasket or facing of this sealing device also provides a yielding sealing element which ensures perfect contact between the meeting edges of the closed doors to prevent the escape of any particles of the lading, as well as such an arrangement as will protect the sealing elements from injury by contact with the discharging lading when the doors are open.

It will thus be seen that my invention provides a means for not only strengthening the free edges of the drop doors but also effecting a tight sealing connection between them which will automatically adjust itself to or compensate for any slight irregularities of surface between the meeting edges, so as to tightly close all crevices between such edges when the doors are in closed position, as well as such a construction and arrangement of the sealing elements as to prevent wear thereon or injury thereto by the lading during a discharge action. While the disclosed sealing structures are preferred, it will. of course, be understood that changes in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

What I claim is:-

1. A freight container having a storage chamber provided with a bottom discharge outlet, sheet metal hinged doors at opposite sides of said outlet mounted to swing in a vertical plane for opening and closing movements, the door sheets being provided at their free edges with z-shaped metal reinforcing bars presenting opposed horizontal flanges below the free edges of the door sheets, the free edge of one of the door sheets being provided with a sealing flange depending therefrom upon the outer side of its z-shaped reinforcing bar and toward the horizontal flange thereof, and a flexible sealingmember arranged between the horizontal flange of the Z-bar and free edge of the other door sheet for sealing engagement with the flrst-named sealing member.

2. A freight container having a storage chamber provided with a bottom discharge outlet. sheet metal swinging doors controlling said outlet, said doors carrying each a Z-shaped metal reinforcing bar set back from its free edge, said bars presenting opposed horizontal flanges arranged beneath the free edges of the sheets, one of the door sheets being provided with a flange downturned on the outer side of its z-shaped reinforcing bar and toward said flange of the bar to form a sealing strip, a carrier member secured to the free edge of the other door sheet and depending toward the horizontal flange of its Z- shaped reinforcing bar, and a flexible sealing device carried by said carrier member for sealing engagement with said flange.

3. A goods container having a storage chamber provided with a bottom discharge outlet, and sheet metal swinging doors controlling said outlet, said door sheets being provided with Z-shaped metal reinforcing bars set back from their free edges and presenting opposed horizontal flanges beneath the free edges of the door sheets, the free edges of one of said door sheets having a sealing flange depending therefrom toward the flange of its Z-bar, a carrier bar or strip housed in the space between the free edge of the other door and flange of its z-bar, and a gasket of flexible sealing material carried by said carrier bar strip for engagement with said sealing flange.

GRAHAM C. WOODRUFF. 

